See by your self, go into OpenBSD.org. There is no handbook as described in this article of this blog. There are a big list of projects that are independents, while being part of OpenBSD and for each, a dedicated domain exist. For example the handy handbook can be found at openbsdhandbook.com. This is how "chaotic" OpenBSD can look like for a new user.
We could say that the dedicated domain for the handbook could be better, but is not bad at all for beginers. But because this project presents it self so "out of the box", I start exploring the site. We go back some years, to understand how this people start participating in some public events.
Click "Events and Papers" and go into the bottom of the page. Jan 6, Oct, 1997. I guess this was the year I got a computer, from some friend that offer me the first cd of Slackware 7.1 with a computer. Anyway, to find stuff about OpenBSD is not easy, since there is only 15 pages of Google results for "OpenBSD pf", for example. Reading the man pages is for technical persons, since for me, can lead the to make more mistakes. Configuring OpenBSD is something that was made by those and for those, who know how to start. This is the idea that maybe, all Operating Systems, don't care about, which is, to guide the new user to start doing things, while following the recommendations, putting away or in a dedicated page, what is not common to use, using the operating system, they share. All Operating Systems, should come with that manual included for all users, while is true that using a Command Line interface, can be hard to learn.
The Defcon conference already existed. Something I only knew, 10 years after, like the BlackHat conference. Both conferences are events that aim to put together people with good technical knowledge in IT, with all kind of events, where they will learn something too, while knowing new persons, with different level of knowledge. Is where Hackers can feel that "child inside" and learn while having fun. Looks like the "perfect" school.
Looks like OpenBSD don't always care to make a copy of the sites they make reference in their history, which are links that are inexistent. In a creative style, the name of the first public talk of OpenBSD was Birds of a Feather which inspire some nice music. "A Meeting of people interested in the same thing" (Security).
BlackHat.com, don't have the files that OpenBSD make reference. So, some of the presentations and slides of their History, are already vanish from history. :) That is a normal behavior in a BlackHat Mind. So, nothing strange here. Files are gone. Naturaly! What do you expect? The Usenix links are there, with all the links. They are not BlackHats indeed, while Defcon keep the records of each detail? No, Only Usenix, while some other links are gone too. "You fuckin hackers, always hidden information"
Love is in the air
Next year, 1998, a AWESOME year. I mean, is just the name that is awesome, but since this site is all about a Monkey that is me, I feel this guys are like family. :) monkey.org The Primates. In this times, OpenBSD was selling OpenBSD. :) The site still On. Good! Good Monkeys!
The Monkey in me say in the other subdomain "We Don't need security but Functionality", since secure systems tend to be disfuntional, but you could create a funcional system after all this years, while being secure. Congratulations!
Funny event in the year 2000, "hack and drink", until everyone is drunk? haha I bet! :) https://www.openbsd.org/reprints/crypto2000.html doesn't exist. There is no records about this event, which make me believe that you were too drunk. The so Known O'Reilly site, remove the links of this year. Maybe they are trying to behave like BlackHat's or maybe everyone was too drunk too.
Usenix are for now, the ones that have all the records. As we can see, some links from OpenBSD don't exist, so since they are hackers, obcessed with security, maybe this documents are sensible to them. Pictures of people naked? :))
The Usenix site change links, but add a redirection to them. Love that!
Well, check their sites and explore them, because the source is always in different sources. Is part of how everything is. Small pieces, sometimes from different natures and proposes.